How to Put Leather on a Bar Stool

Cover square or round bar stools using the same techniques.

Commonly found in kitchens, bar stools offer convenient seating while you work or for quick lunches. Wooden bar stools are practical, but not comfortable for long-term use. They do not always match the ambiance or decor in your kitchen either. Cover a wooden bar stool seat with leather to create an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable seat. Upholster older, worn out bar stools after removing the old upholstery. Recycle the stuffing when possible or replace it with firmer or softer foam as desired.

1

Lay the leather flat on your work surface face down. Smooth out any wrinkles.

2

Unscrew the seat from the stool. Set the screws aside in a safe location. Measure the thickness of the seat.

3

Set the seat, top side down, onto the leather. Trace around the seat to create a guide for cutting the leather and again for cutting the foam.

4

Measure the thickness of the seat plus 2 inches from your traced line and several intervals and mark it on the fabric. For example, if your seat is 2 inches thick, measure 4 inches out from each corner and side and mark it on the back of the leather. Connect the new marks.

5

Repeat the measuring and marking process with your batting. Use the same measurements as for the leather.

6

Cut the leather along your second set of lines using heavy-duty sewing scissors. Cut the batting the same way.

7

Cut the foam with a band saw. First cut several straight lines from the outside of the foam into and up to your second set of marks. These are called relief cuts and the excess foam falls away as you cut around the foam making it easier to cut curves. It also reduces stress on the cutting blade.

8

Lay the cut out leather on your work surface face down. Then place the batting on top and line up the edges with the leather. Center the foam on the batting.

9

Set the seat on top of the foam face down. Pull the leather tightly up and around the seat, bringing the batting up with it, on the back side of the seat. The back side is the one furthest from you. Hold it firm to the seat and staple it in place with one staple. Repeat this process with the front side of the seat. Then repeat again with the left and right sides of the seat.

10

Transfer the location of the screw holes onto the leather. Mark the outside, or the side that shows on the finished bar stool, with the location.

11

Staple the remainder of the leather down, starting at the backside of the stool and then moving to the front, then the sides just as before.

12

Tuck the leather in an aesthetically pleasing manner at the corners. You can tuck the in the excess toward the front or back of the stool or let the tucks face each other at the corners. For round bar stools, make pleats as needed to make the material lay flat along the sides. To tuck, simply push the excess fabric between the remaining leather and the stool. Staple well to hold the tuck in place.

13

Punch through the leather at the screw holes with the leather hole punch. Screw the seat back onto the stool.